Style of language

The article “Only Love and Then Oblivion” by Ian McEwan is written in a formal style, mirroring the serious topic it presents. The vocabulary is formal and occasionally complex: “oblivion” (p. 128, l. 33), “consolation” (p. 127, l. 3), or “delirium” (p. 127, l. 32). This gives the text an almost literary feel as well as a solemn tone.

The choice of pronouns is important to the message of the article. The writer uses the first personal plural pronoun “we” and its variations throughout the article: “the sense that we are doing it more or less together” (p. 127, l. 2), ”Now we know” (p. 128, l. 42), or “they compel us to imagine ourselves into that moment” (p. 128, l. 42). This reflects the text’s central themes of empathy and interconnection. It also makes the readers fe...